21 August 2022

Goodwood option for Hoo Yal Mal before Leger bid

21 August 2022

Hoo Ya Mal could warm up for a planned St Leger run with an outing at Goodwood on Saturday.

The Territories colt was bought for £1.2million at the Goffs London Sale in June after finishing second to Desert Crown in the Cazoo Derby when in the care of Andrew Balding.

Hoo Ya Mal is eventually due to travel to Australia to join Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott later this year, with the latter half of the Melbourne Spring Carnival in mind.

However, he has been sent to George Boughey in the interim and finished third on his first outing for his new yard in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, with his current handler considering one more run before heading to the Doncaster Classic on September 10.

“He will get an entry in the March Stakes at Goodwood beforehand,” said the trainer. “He is in great shape.

“He was not entered in the Great Voltigeur at York which James Ferguson won (with Deauville Legend), because he was not with us by then – he was in pre-training then – which was a bit of a shame, because he probably should have been.

“But the Leger is the plan and he is on track, and it is all systems go, really.”

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